Culture, environment and livelihood: potential for crafting sustainable communities in Chiang Mai

Understanding Tourism at Heritage Religious Sites

“…In Thailand, funds from church members, tourists, private non-profits, and the government help to preserve the historic Wats. Even though tourism is a major industry in Chiang Mai, the large number of Wats means that only a few of them have a substantial number of tourist visitors (Chifos, 2006).…”

Souvenirs: A Systematic Literature Review (1981–2020) and Research Agenda

“…Hitchcock and Teague (2000) pointed out that good souvenirs are made by skilled crafters who have revived traditional objects to suit the new market. Research findings enlighten practitioners in five ways to produce a good souvenir: ensuring the cultural authenticity being maintained and vouched for on labels (Asplet & Cooper, 2000); valuing the effect of culture in the sustainable development of souvenirs (Chifos, 2006); breaking the opposition relationship between art and souvenirs and enhancing the artistic quality (Thompson et al, 2012); incorporating the co-creation of tourists in production (Anastasiadou & Vettese, 2019); and increasing level of innovation (Naidu et al, 2014). About innovation, digital technology, augmented reality, and 3D printing technologies are applied.…”

“…It adjusts economic relationships as the change of target consumers from locals to outsiders (Schiller, 2008). The souvenir business alters the participation of grassroots level citizens in the tourism industry and improves their economic empowerment (Chifos, 2006; Nason, 1984). Thus, the souvenir business plays a significant role in poverty alleviation.…”

“…Therefore, as seen in Figure 5, a strong connection exists between this cluster and Cluster 2—some exploratory research associated with this theme. For instance, Chifos (2006) took Chiang Mai as a case and explored the potential power for environment-friendly and community sustainability by souvenirs produced by natural resources and traditional knowledge. Ansari et al (2019) augured that the increase in the number of tourists of a national park in Indonesia and their demand for butterfly souvenirs may lead to over-exploitation of raw material, which in turn can cause ecological degradation.…”

“…Researchers are concerned about the economic significance of souvenir business for peripheral areas. The development of souvenir business changes the local economic structure in which handicraft trade is no longer a part of the local traditional agricultural economy but a critical export trade and a part of the global economy (Chifos, 2006). It adjusts economic relationships as the change of target consumers from locals to outsiders (Schiller, 2008).…”